4 April 2013

Sixth at Cornell

Virginia regatta next step for Gaels

The Gaels finished sixth out of 15 teams at last weekend’s Mid-Atlantic Intercollegiate Sailing Association (MAISA) North Spring Qualifier, hosted by Cornell University.

This is the second consecutive year that Queen’s has failed to qualify for the America Trophy — the top championship for schools in Ontario and northeastern US. The Gaels finished fourth at Cornell last year.

“We ended up slipping back in the results,” said William Schwenger, who competed at the regatta alongside four Gaels teammates. “We’re hoping that one of these days qualifying for the America Trophy will actually happen.”

Sailing regattas are scored based on the results of a series of races. Winners receive one point, while each team that follows receiving points according to where they finish. The team with the lowest total score wins the regatta.

The host Cornell Big Red was the overall winner at the North Spring Qualifier, tallying 102 points over 30 races.

Queen’s finished with 177 points, 75 behind Cornell. The Gaels will compete at the Leroy Grant Trophy, held in Virginia, on April 13 and 14.

“It’s a bit of a consolation round,” Schwenger said. “We’re hoping we can get it together and have a really strong finish there.”

Both MAISA championships help determine next season’s rankings. The teams in the America Trophy rank between 1-16 based on their performance, with the teams in the Leroy Grant slotted below them.